UC Berkeley alerts 80,000 to cyberattack on financial system

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — The University of California, Berkeley says a hacker broke into a computer system holding financial data of 80,000 students, alumni, current and former employees.

The university said Friday that although there is no evidence that any information has been stolen, it has notified potential victims of the breach so they can watch for signs of possible misuse of their personal data.

UC Berkeley was in the middle of patching a security flaw in the financial management system when the intrusion occurred in December.

Those notified include students and staff who received non-salary payments through electronic fund transfers, such as financial aid awards and work-related reimbursements. Vendors whose financial information was in the system for payment purposes are also at risk.